Contents

Beck is a young program who becomes the leader of a revolution inside the computer world of the Grid against the villainous Clu and his henchmen. A mechanic, he is trained by Tron, the greatest warrior the Grid has ever known. Tron not only trains Beck in the fighting and light cycle skills to challenge the brutal military occupation of the city of Argon, but also guides and mentors him to grow beyond his youthful, impulsive nature into a courageous and powerful leader. Beck adopts Tron's persona and becomes the enemy of General Tesler and his oppressive forces.[5][6]

Beck (voiced by Elijah Wood) – The protagonist of the series. Beck is a young program who leads a revolution against Clu. He is trained by Tron and he challenges the evil forces of Tesler and Clu. Beck is referred to by the public as "Tron" and "the Renegade".

Tron (voiced by Bruce Boxleitner) – The original protector of the Grid, Tron was supposedly killed by Clu. However, Tron survived that battle with injuries. Unable to protect the Grid, Tron sought out a new protector and found Beck, whom he vowed to train. In "Scars", it is revealed Dyson also scarred the left side of his face. He is later fully healed in "Terminal"

Mara (voiced by Mandy Moore) – A co-worker and one of Beck's friends at Able's Garage. Saved early in the series by Beck, Mara becomes one of the most dedicated believers in Tron's return and the Renegade's actions, often supporting him openly and questioning the official news reports painting the Renegade as a terrorist.

Zed (voiced by Nate Corddry) – A co-worker and friend of Beck's at Able's Garage. Due to his long-standing romantic interest in Mara, Zed becomes jealous of her fanatical support of the Renegade and becomes opposed to the extreme actions being taken against the established regime. Beck often makes this worse by taking advantage of Zed while acting as the Renegade, reinforcing Zed's ill-feelings.

General Tesler (voiced by Lance Henriksen) – Clu's henchman and the main antagonist of the series. Tesler was originally tasked with eliminating rumours of Tron's survival and suppressing reports of Tron's return. He rarely participates in action directly, but when he does has shown himself to be a capable combatant and tactician.

Paige (voiced by Emmanuelle Chriqui) – A young program who is one of Tesler's field commanders. While hardened and dedicated, she is less antagonistic than Tesler and takes a personal interest in the new "Tron". Originally a medical program, Paige volunteered to be reformatted as a soldier after surviving what she believed to be an ISO attack, unaware that the killings she witnessed were done under Tesler's orders.

Able (voiced by Reginald VelJohnson) – The owner of Able's Garage (which is the best repair shop in Argon City). Able is fully aware that Tron is still alive, and is one of the first to discover Beck's double life. While not openly supporting Beck, Able often allows him leeway from his regular duties and covers for Beck's absences from work. In "No Bounds", he is killed by Cyrus, when the bomb he took off of Zed and Mara got reactivated.

Pavel (voiced by Paul Reubens) – Tesler's second-in-command. Although Pavel has been with Tesler far longer than Paige, his sadistic tendencies and lack of finesse often leads to Paige being given duties which require a more positive public image. This has led Pavel's loyalty to Tesler to be stretched, as well as damaging his working relationship with Paige.

The Grid (voiced by Tricia Helfer) – The main setting of the Tron universe.

Clu (voiced by Fred Tatasciore) – The updated version of the original Clu from the original Grid, he was created by Kevin Flynn (the creator of the Grid). Clu betrayed Flynn and Tron then took over the Grid.

Dyson (voiced by John Glover) – A former friend turned traitor of Tron. Dyson betrayed Tron by joining Clu's army.

Perl (voiced by Kate Mara) – A female member of a criminal gang who lures Zed into bringing her into Able's Garage, where she stole the ENCOM 786 lightcycle. She was later arrested by Paige.

Cyrus (voiced by Aaron Paul) – Cyrus is Tron's first Renegade. After Tron was beaten by Dyson, Cyrus stepped in to save Tron. Cyrus then became the first "Renegade" before Beck. However, he believed that in order to free the grid, he should destroy it. Tron, upset that Cyrus saw things differently, imprisoned Cyrus in a crack in the grid, provided by Able. Cyrus then meets up with Beck and explains that he is the first renegade. Cyrus used Beck, along with himself, as battery power to thereby "freeing" the programs oppressed by Clu. He broke out of the compressed space, but fell back when Beck broke free. However, Cyrus escaped and caused havoc as the Renegade, blaming his crimes on Beck.

Keller (voiced by Marcia Gay Harden) - A scientific program initially employed by Tesler to brainwash the programs of Argon City into obeying Clu. When she witnesses the brutality of Tesler's regime and her brainwashing device is destroyed by the Renegade, she flees the city, pursued by Beck and Paige.

Cutler (voiced by Lance Reddick) – A veteran of the Isomorphic Algorithm (ISO) wars. He fought for the ISOs and wore an armband as a sign of his past. Cutler went to Argon City after hearing about the "Renegade." He returns in "Terminal", where its revealed he was captured and repurposed by CLU.

Link (voiced by David Arquette) - A minor character who often appears in the background in major key events. He is a mechanic who works in Able's garage, and friend of Beck and Mara. He is quiet, and rather clumsy, causing accidents and irritation among his work place. He is often ignored by his peers, and given menial tasks much to his frustration. He was once approached by Pavel, who easily manipulated him to falsely testify the identity of the "Renegade" in exchange for a vehicle. Despite this, he has shown admiration for the "Renegade", and is seen among the rebellion in the final episode.

Gorn (voiced by Kathryn Hunter) - A technician operating in Purgos, Argon City's ghetto. She specializes in erasing or modifying memories of various programs, and is often tasked with this by Pavel when he orchestrates a frameup. Ultimately, she is herself mutilated and rendered mute in order to keep silent about Pavel's schemes.

Director Charlie Bean explained 'the idea was to create a distinct style for the CG show not seen elsewhere on television or in film.'[8] He worked closely with art director Alberto Mielgo, character designer Robert Valley (animation artist for the Gorillaz music videos) and lead vehicle designer Daniel Simon, who was previously responsible for many vehicle designs in the Tron: Legacy feature film, including the light cycles.[9] Mielgo won the Primetime Emmy Award for his art direction in 2013.[10]

After his city is invaded and a friend killed by Clu's soldiers, a young program named Beck takes the name of "Tron" and, aided by the real Tron, fights back. (31-minute prelude episode, initially produced as a 10-segment miniseries.)

As Tron trains Beck, Beck begins to doubt that he can be the next Tron. While trying to evade security, Beck lands in a prison transport and is taken to the games. Meanwhile, Zed falls for a female named Perl and brings her to the garage to show her his work, where she steals Able's classic ENCOM 786.

When Beck's identity disc is stolen on the Light Rail, his memory begins to unravel. Hoping to prevent permanent memory loss or identification as the Renegade, he and Tron go to Purgos, Argon City's closest neighbor, to recover it.

After stealing a valuable data cube from General Tesler's ship, Beck (as the Renegade) is chased by Paige over the Sea of Simulation. When they crash on a destabilized island, Paige reflects on the events that led her to becoming a soldier of the Occupation.

When General Tesler offers a reward, as well as the lifting of Argon City's curfew, for the capture of the Renegade, programs all over Argon City began to falsely accuse each other.

9

"Scars, Part 1"

Charlie Bean

Bill Wolkoff

October 26, 2012 (2012-10-26)

N/A

Dyson, once Tron's lieutenant and now high-ranking in CLU's takeover, comes to Argon City to check up on Tessler.

10

"Scars, Part 2"

Charlie Bean

Bill Wolkoff

November 2, 2012 (2012-11-02)

N/A

Beck seeks to stop Tron from killing Dyson.

11

"Grounded"

Charlie Bean

Adam Nussdorf

December 3, 2012 (2012-12-03)

N/A

A furious Tesler publicly challenges the Renegade to appear in Argon Square and surrender himself, promising to free additional prisoners and end the curfew if he does so. Beck accepts the challenge and narrowly escapes capture. Able later reveals that he knows that Beck is the Renegade.

12

"We Both Know How This Ends"

Charlie Bean

Adam Nussdorf & Akela Cooper

December 10, 2012 (2012-12-10)

N/A

Able heads to the Outlands to confront Tron over his use of Beck as the Renegade, leaving Mara in charge of the garage.

13

"The Stranger"

Charlie Bean

Scott Nimerfro & Adam Nussdorf and Ryan Mottesheard

December 17, 2012 (2012-12-17)

N/A

On a trip to Gallium City through a storm, Beck discovers a one-way portal. He also learns that he wasn't the first program that Tron had trained as a renegade.

14

"Tagged"

Charlie Bean

Adam Nussdorf & Bill Wolkoff

December 24, 2012 (2012-12-24)

N/A

The Renegade recruits three programs who caught his attention by tagging the grid with the message, "Tron Lives." He discovers one of them is Mara.

15

"State of Mind"

Charlie Bean

Story by: Mark LittonWritten by: Bill Wolkoff & Adam Nussdorf

December 31, 2012 (2012-12-31)

N/A

Tesler uses a mind-control agent to build an army. When Mara falls victim to it, Zed and the Renegade work together to help rescue her.

Beck tries to rescue a fleeing government scientist before Paige and the Occupation finds her; Paige and Beck become passengers on the same runaway train and Beck must save the innocent programs on the train without revealing his identity.

17

"Rendezvous"

Charlie Bean

Bill Wolkoff

January 14, 2013 (2013-01-14)

N/A

Beck and Paige go out on a date, and Paige begins to see Beck's views. Meanwhile, Pavel tests the augmentation boost, but Paige catches him, misconstruing Beck's advice. Tired of her interference, Pavel plots to get rid of Paige once and for all, while Beck decides that an appearance by the Renegade may finally win Paige over.

18

"No Bounds"

Charlie Bean

Story by: Scott Nimerfro & Donna ThorlandWritten by: Scott Nimerfro

January 21, 2013 (2013-01-21)

N/A

Cyrus, seeking revenge on Beck and Tron, impersonates the Renegade and kills an innocent program. With the city against him, Beck is forced to make the difficult choice of saving Tron or his friends.

19

"Terminal"

Charlie Bean

Scott Nimerfro, Adam Nussdorf & Donna Thorland

January 28, 2013 (2013-01-28)

N/A

Tron tells Beck that he is dying and that the only way to stop his illness is to use the Occupation's new super recognizer.

On January 14, 2013, producer Edward Kitsis responded to rumors of cancellation by stating, "I don't know what the future [of Tron: Uprising] is now. I know at the present, I can say we need more viewers."[20] Disney XD moved the program in the broadcast schedule to Monday mornings at 12:00 AM Eastern until the first season episodes finished airing on January 28, 2013. After the last episode of the first season aired, no more episodes of Tron: Uprising have been produced, but Disney has not confirmed the cancellation of the series.[citation needed]

A trailer for the series, with a voice-over by Bruce Boxleitner, was released online in May 2012 (2012-05).[22] and on the home video releases of Tron: Legacy, on April 5, 2011 (2011-04-05).[19] Disney XD presented CGI models of characters, concept art, and the original trailer that was with the home releases of Tron: Legacy at San Diego Comic Con 2011.[23][24] Disney released the first, pre-season episode on May 18, 2012 (2012-05-18), in which the full 31-minute episode was featured on Disney XD on Demand, YouTube, Facebook, iTunes a week earlier. The prelude episode was broadcast only on the Disney Channel, and was originally going to be a 10-part miniseries.

The series premiere earned mostly positive reviews. It also currently holds an 8.8 rating on TV.com,[26] and 8.2 rating from 5,871 users on IMDb.com.[27] "Beck's Beginning" was given a positive review, with IGN ranking it 8 out of 10.[28]